Christmas

A little Christmassy cheer, I couldn’t help gasped at the sight of the dreamy Christmas tree, its welcoming warmth, like a beacon of love, broke through the dusty night air, and pulled me towards it with every step. I just had to surrender myself.

Café Café was just as I had left it. About a year back I think? The silent face from across the other table, he’s still there. That was the philosophical day that never quite happened, never meant to happen. We exchanged smiles.

A little candle holder I soon found nearer to my face, and so had dancing shadows graced my every laughter and delight as seafood and sun-dried tomatoes tickled my tongue. Do I look tensed? I swear the sultry tunes of Édith Piaf wasn’t helping at all.

The iPhone really shouldn’t be on the table. Its very presence is a vivid contrast to the darkened nostalgia gracing every single piece of ornament in this quiet space. And too, the distraction posed a challenge too great for me not to submit to. I pinched the screen and resized photos, as though I have not resized a photo in my life before.

And a proposal. To Penang I hear? Couldn’t give no for an answer, could I. But I could count with both hands the days of which this new turn has unfolded. But really let’s just pinch my nose and jump right in, splash myself a torrent of emotions again. The silly games people play, and the silly people games play.

Whatever happens next, I still have the Christmas tree to dream about, at least.